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Scion
Scions were the original surviving members of the Locust Horde that evolved from exposure to the Imulsion Countermeasure Weapon. The original Locust were encased in an impenetrable crystalline shell and emerged twenty five years later. The Scions serve as interim leaders of the Swarm. Exceptionally larger and stronger than Drones, they are known to wield heavy weapons and possess the ability to empower and rally Swarm Drones by emitting osmium dust. History Origins Following the death of Myrrah, the detonation of the Imulsion Countermeasure Weapon triggered ripples of the blast at all miles radius ending the Locust Horde for good, rendering them to presumed extinction in 17 A.E.. After the detonation, strange crystallines started forming on over thousands of Locust corpses and the dead bodies were eventually encased in thick crystallized shells. The strange crystals covering the Locust bodies were proven to be unbreakable and indestructible as there were little attempts of destroying them; instead, the COG committed to dumping thousands of dead Locust bodies in abandoned sites for mass burial sites and bury them underneath. Little did humanity know, the countermeasure weapon never killed the Locusts; rather, it forced the Locusts to shut down for preservation, enhancing them and mutating them in states of prolonged metamorphosis. Swarm War In 42 A.E., the original Locusts, now evolved and much stronger than before, returned back to life from the dead for the first time in twenty-five years. The original Locusts, now called Scions started emerging from crystallized shells in burial sites as they embarked their path to raid COG settlements and Outsider villages. Intending to grow an army,Dialogue spoken by Marcus at the beginning in Act IV, Chapter 1: Get Out Scions ambushed COG settlements and Outsider villages accompanying dozens of Snatchers to abduct humans and taking them to the Swarm hives to incubate and link them for the process of transforming them into Juvies. Following the successful retrieval of the Fabricator and the skirmish orchestrated by First Minister Jinn, the Outsider settlement, Fort Umson became under siege later that evening when dozens of Snatchers led by a unique Scion known as the Speaker began abducting villagers, including Oscar. Terror ensued in the village when Snatchers started abducting the Outsiders while Reyna was attacked by the Speaker who grabbed her by force but fought back against the Scion as she managed to sever his left hand. As the fight continued, the Scion gained the upper hands to ultimately subdue her and take her to the Tollen Dam Hive, leaving JD, Del, and Kait behind. In the aftermath of the attack, the trio break out of the shed where Reyna locked them in then noticed The Speaker's severed left hand and the yellow thick crystals embedded. As they discover it, JD used his knife to cut off a piece of crystals for him to take and the trio went their way to seek out JD's father, Marcus Fenix, in search of answers. Later that night, JD, Del and Kait tracked down a Snatcher that abducted Marcus, following its path as the Snatcher descended into the osmium mine beneath Fort Reval. As the trio made their way to the mine, they stumbled across numerous Locust shells, and as they inspected more in the mine, they were attacked by more than one Scion ans the trio would fend off more Scions as they pushed deeper into the mine. Tracking the static noise as they went deeper into the heart of the hive, JD desperately ordered Del and Kait to search for the newer pod until they confronted the Snatcher that took Marcus. After killing the Snatcher, JD, Del and Kait found the pathway where the Snatcher first came from. The trio saw the new pod and freed Marcus. Regaining consciousness, Marcus then explained that when he was in the pod, he was in the Swarm network. Not only he felt all the people that had been podded, including people from Kait's village, he'd learned that the Scions held Reyna alive in another burial site not too far and also learned the truth of the original Locusts who never went extinct as humanity believed. During the ambush at the Tollen Dam, the Speaker was killed by Kait. It was later revealed that the Speaker was planning to transform Reyna into the new Swarm Queen since she was the sole heiress of Queen Myrrah. As the Swarm War began in earnest, the COG began encountering an elite class of Scions called Wardens. They were more heavily armored than a typical Scion and specialized in melee combat, in which they wielded dual Breaker Maces. According to Del, the presence of a Warden often indicated that the Swarm was scouting a location to become a new Hive. A number of Wardens were encountered and killed by Kait and Del in Kadar Valley, and by Delta-One in Vasgar and during the Battle of Old Ephyra. Strategy Scions are the deadliest of all humanoid Swarm due to their heavy weaponry, high health, and ability to rally nearby Drones, increasing their armor and damage output, as well as reviving any DBNO Drones. Such empowered Drones have a faint glow about them. Fortunately, Scions move slowly and their size makes them easy to pick out and target. Their bulk prevents them from entering cover (they can vault over it), but they can't be chainsawed or bayonet charged either. You can briefly stagger Scions by inflicting enough damage to them. There are two ways of going about dealing with a Scion. You can quickly kill all of the Drones in the area so the Scion has no allies to upgrade, or you can focus your firepower and drop the Scion as soon as possible. Ideally, you'll kill the Scion before it empowers any Drones; if that happens, though, killing it will not revert the Drones. Scions are vulnerable while they're rallying nearby Drones. Watch the Scion to stomp its foot and slowly raise its fist in a cloud of gas, accompanied by a loud hum. It's stationary during the process and can't retaliate in any way, so open fire. Because all Scions have the same amount of health, regardless of class, they should be dealt with according to what weapon they're using. Scion Dropshots are your top priority, as they're extremely accurate with their weapon and can force you out of cover (they can even headshot you if you're too stationary, such as when using a turret). Scion Boomshots are next (if you're in Horde), followed by Scion Mulchers, then Buzzkills. Don't underestimate these latter two classes, however; their weapons can still inflict heavy damage to a careless player or pin you down while other Swarm rush your position. You can identify each Scion class by what they shout: *Boomshots/Salvo: "Firing!" *Buzzkill: "Shredder!" *Dropshot: "Launching!" *Mulchers: "Suppressing!" *Ice: “Freezer!” Unlike the Boomers of the past, Scions don't always preface their attacks with a phrase, so you can't solely rely on auditory clues when fighting them. Scions are capable of melee, and can execute a downed player by picking them up and crushing their head. Scion Types Various Scions are known with each differing in appearance and weapon choice. In the campaign, all possess the ability to empower and rally Swarm Drones, however in Horde, this is exclusive to only one Scion type. * Scion Boomshot - The standard Scion that wields a Boomshot. These Scions have large chrysalis formations on their shoulders and the back of their necks. Additionally, they lack upper body armor. * Scion Dropshot - Almost identical to a Boomshot, these Scions lack the chrysalis formations that their Boomshot counterparts have. Additionally, these Scions wield upper body armor for their left shoulder and chest and wield Dropshots. In the Gears of War 4 campaign, these Scions also wield Buzzkills. * Heavy Scion - An armored Scion that wields a Mulcher. These Scions are different, as they lay down suppressing first before approaching. Additionally, the armor they wear only covers their right shoulder, the front of the chest, behind the neck and a helmet. * Scion Elite - A heavily armored Scion that looks far different than most Scions, closely resembling a Locust Drone, however over half of the right side of its face is covered with chrysalis formation that also covers their hands. It also wields a Boomshield on its back, but never uses it. This Scion is exclusive to Horde in Gears of War 4 and wields only a Buzzkill, called a Scion Buzzkill, respectively in that game mode. Additionally, it is the only Scion in Gears of War 4 Horde that can rally and empower Drones. Only one appears in the campaign, called the Speaker, respectively, a high ranking Scion who was responsible for the attack and raid of Kait's Outsider village and the abduction of her mother, Reyna. In Gears 5, these Scions finally make an appearance in the campaign, now wielding Cyro Cannons and stolen Salvo Rocket Launchers, called Ice Scions and Salvo Scions, respectively. It is renamed to Speaker in the Gears 5 multiplayer. * Warden - Scions that debuted in the Gears 5 ''campaign. Similar to Scion Elites, Wardens have a drastically different appearance as compared to their counterparts, particularly the massive amount of chrysalis formation across their entire body they did not shed, their armor and overall size. Vanguards of the Swarm, these Scions are nearly impervious to gunfire due to the crystal formations, with the exception of their heads. The only armor they wear is a helmet to protect their face, a left shoulder guard and a strap along their chest with the Locust Emblem on it. These Scions also wield dual Breaker Maces. A key note, usually noted by the characters in the campaign, is the appearance of a Warden means the Swarm plan to turn the current location into a new Hive. It is also noted that these Scions are significantly taller than their counterparts. Due to wielding Breaker Maces, Wardens have their own exclusive execution compared to their counterparts. Trivia *The word ''scion means descendant, especially of a notable family. * According to the Gears of War 4: Collector's Edition Guide, the "gas" that Scions emit when rallying Drones is actually Osmium dust.Gears of War 4: Collector's Edition Guide, page 111 *Scion Mulchers wear modified Theron helmets, while Scion Buzzkills have a Boomshield strapped to their back. These are purely cosmetic and do not provide any extra protection from gunfire. *Scion Boomshots only appear in the campaign in the level Gate Crashers, and are otherwise encountered in Horde mode. *A Scion, Armored Scion, Scion Elite, and Heavy Scion are unlockable characters for the Swarm in Gears of War 4 multiplayer. The Scion Elite shares the same model with the Scion Buzzkill in Horde and the Speaker from the campaign, and represents the Swarm Leader in Guardian. The Heavy Scion is only available in the Heavy Scion Gear Pack. *Scion Buzzkill are the only Scions that rally and empower Drones in Horde in Gears of War 4. *A Scion, Scion Elite, now renamed to Speaker, and Warden are unlockable characters for Gears 5 multiplayer. *The Scion Elites make their debut in the Gears 5 campaign, now wielding Salvo Rocket Launchers and Cryo Cannons. Their appearance is unchanged from their appearance in Gears of War 4. Appearances *''Gears of War 4'' *''Ascendance'' *''Gears 5'' *''Hivebusters'' References Category:The Swarm